Viral violinist Charles Yang brings genre-blending virtuosity to Hong Kong debut

For Charles Yang, the 1964 hit “A Change is Gonna Come”, by Sam Cooke, is a life-altering song. A clip of Yang singing the civil rights movement anthem and accompanying himself on the violin went viral on social media, introducing his work to a wider audience. The soulful performance was an impromptu choice as an encore for a concert with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. But dig beyond that viral clip, and you will find Yang to be a musician who consistently mixes youthful exuberance with an old-timey soulfulness. The American violinist and singer-songwriter balances technique and playfulness in equal measure. Not just a solo act, Yang is also the violinist and lead singer of the string band Time for Three, with whom he has netted a Grammy award. Hongkongers will soon get to experience Yang’s virtuosity as he brings his Ravel, Rhythm & Blues concert to town on May 17, accompanied by Peter Dugan on piano. While no stranger to the city, this performance marks his recital debut and promises to be a “genre-blending programme”, with the set list spanning Monti and Ravel to the Beatles and jazz sets. What have you been up to? We recently released an album with the great Joyce DiDonato, who is also coming to Hong Kong (on June 8) thanks to Premiere Performances. Composer Kevin Puts wrote a whole song cycle for it with the poetry of Emily Dickinson. That record, Emily – No Prisoner Be, came out earlier this year. We’ve just done a whole tour of the United States, from the west coast all the way to Carnegie Hall. So, that was fun! Tell us about going viral with your cover of “A Change is Gonna Come”. That video has changed my life. It happened because I just went out there for an encore. I didn’t know what to play, so I just started doing that. I didn’t plan on it. It affected people in a way that made them want to share it. There must be pressure to follow up, which could be challenging, given the short attention span of social media. Of course, the music industry pushes us in that direction. It’s like you’ve got to capture people’s attention immediately or within the first five seconds. But the analytics (of the video) show that people have been listening to the whole thing. And that song is long; even the clip of it is not short. Some short-form content is great, but some things are meant to be enjoyed in fuller form. A creator should think about what they want their goal to be, not base it off socials. How would you describe yourself as a musician? I’m deeply rooted in classical music. Those are the roots of my studies and how I was brought up, but I’m deeply curious about all the dialects of different kinds of music. So, I would say I’m an exploratory musician. I love playing the violin repertoire, concertos, Beethoven, Brahms and Korngold – these great concertos. But I also love premiering new concertos, like those by Kris Bowers, my band Time for Three, Kevin Puts and Mason Bates, among others. I love songwriting, playing guitar or playing violin and singing with it. I’m a collector of different things, and I don’t think of it as a career-driven thing. It’s due to me just being curious, and I’m always down to combine things that might not seem right. Who has influenced you? My mum’s a violinist and she went to the Shanghai Conservatory. So, I was always in the classical world. At home, my parents only had classical music records. Then, my friends at school introduced me to rock ’n’ roll and the blues. I remember the time they introduced me to Stevie Ray Vaughan, one of the greatest blues guitarists, who was very influential to me. They played him, B.B. King and Buddy Guy. Suddenly, this different flavour that I’d never had was opening doors for me. I heard that, and the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and Pink Floyd. The blues scale and pentatonic scale were like a puzzle. I grew up listening to a lot of Itzhak Perlman. I loved how free he was with the violin, and how he didn’t close himself off. You can see he’s played with everybody, be it movie scores or artists like Billy Joel. I love how open-minded he was. Throughout the years, I’ve collected many inspirations. I love keeping my mind open and constantly being inspired by great musicians. What can Hong Kong expect from a Charles Yang concert? Well, a Charles Yang concert can mean many things. For my Hong Kong concert, it’s with the wonderful Peter Dugan on piano, who is my musical brother. He’s one of those curious classical musicians who has adapted and collected many styles of playing. It includes pieces by classical composers like Ravel or Amy Beach. We like to find the lineage of things. This particular concert takes you through a seamless night of different music, like a full meal. It must be hard to maintain a routine as a touring musician. Do you have any grounding rituals? “Routine” is not a word that I understand. It depends on what I’m going to play, like a standard concerto, Tchaikovsky or whatever. I like to be in the zone, so I get to the hall two hours early and just slowly practise until my hands are warm. For a concert like this, with Dugan, we’ll improvise backstage and get in the zone that way, because, on stage, we’re never playing the same exact thing twice, right? Even the sonatas, we’re playing the same notes, but we’re interpreting it differently each time. I love the spontaneity of things, and I don’t like to predetermine how my solo is going to be. It’s really nice to just be in the moment and feel it. It’s important to not feel overpractised or cookie-cutter. What captures your attention these days? Music is a big part of my life; it’s not just work. I’m constantly thinking about it. If you watch my YouTube history, it’s all me learning about how to use compression or production. I’m always trying to learn. I also collect guitars. I’m in a New York apartment and have about 18 guitars, which is ridiculous. I love lots of art forms, like photography. Hong Kong is great for street photography. I love skateboarding, too. I enjoy things that are crafty or give me a thrill. What’s next for you? There is a lot happening. Mason Bates, a great composer, wrote us (Time for Three) a concerto, and I got back last night from Louisville, Kentucky, where we recorded it. I’m also putting out my first record as a solo singer-songwriter this year. I found the wonderful Steve Hackman, a great producer and orchestrator who put this all together. I recorded it with a 60-piece orchestra. It’s almost like a concerto. There are 11 tracks and you could listen to them as singles, or hear it as a whole. This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity

Viral violinist Charles Yang brings genre-blending virtuosity to Hong Kong debut

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}American musician and singer-songwriter Charles Yang talks going viral, his band Time for Three and his coming Hong Kong debut recital, Ravel, Rhythm & Blues

American musician and singer-songwriter Charles Yang talks going viral, his band Time for Three and his coming Hong Kong debut recital, Ravel, Rhythm & Blues